Black Widow
by Artemis013
Summary: Hermione has been promoted to the Department of International Magical Cooperation, allowing her to expand her work of equality regulations globally. Unfortunately, this means she's going to have to work closely with Draco Malfoy.
1. International Magical Cooperation

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of J.K. Rowling. The original characters and plot are the property of the author of this story. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

Hermione sighed heavily leaning against the back of the elevator as it ascended. Today was the day she was being transferred to the Department of International Magical Cooperation. Having spent the past eight years working in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, she was both excited and nervous for the change. She clutched her box of paperwork tightly, nervous about dropping everything as the elevator screeched to a halt. Swallowing hard she began her journey down the hall towards her new office.

It was a darker floor than her previous work station, causing her to shiver involuntarily. She had been here numerous times arguing laws and regulations, it felt a bit off that this was going to be her new home. At the far end of the hall was her office, sealed with an oak door and labelled with a golden plaque that read;

 **Ms. Hermione Granger**

 **Deputy Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation**

Hermione grinned and pushed herself into the office, along with her things. The room was very Victorian, filled with heavy wood furniture. There was a window behind her desk, enchanted to appear as though it was a sunny day outside. Plopping her box of things on her desk she stretched, before settling down at her chair. Drawing her wand she hummed as she organized all of her books and paperwork into their appropriate spots. A book tumbled away from its spot on her bookshelf by a loud knock at her door.

 _Seriously? She'd been her for no more than ten minutes._

Standing up she strode to the door and pried it open. A jovial face with sparkling green eyes met her,

"Welcome to the team Hermione!"

Harry nearly shouted, bringing her into a hug before shoving a bottle of champagne into her hands. Harry worked in the Aurors department, she was grateful that her friends was going to be her neighbour here.

"Thank you Harry, I'm just getting settled in."

Hermione smiled, setting the bottle on a shelf before turning back to her friend. Having just married Ginny Weasley, she hadn't seen him much since the wedding. Although they worked together in the same building he was hard to get a hold of for even just drinks after work.

"How about I show you around? I'm sure your paperwork can wait a few hours."

He added when she looked forlornly at her desk, sighing lightly she threw her friend a smile,

"That would be helpful, thank you. I just need to be back by 11, I'm supposed to be meeting with the Minister of the International Magical Office of Law, we have a benefit event tonight and I need to be brought up to speed."

She inwardly laughed, even after years of working at the Ministry of Magic, she still couldn't believe how unnecessarily long the names were for each department. Harry flitted her through the offices, introducing her to all of the heads of each sub department, some of whom she had worked with on a few of her legalization cases with the Department of Magical Creatures. The pair decided to grab a quick cup of tea, which Hermione was grateful for. Her head was full of names and faces that she was trying to remember. She also had received a stack of paperwork from a few of her peers that she was already getting a headache looking at. So much for an easy first day.

"How's Ron doing, when are you two going to tie the knot?"

Harry asked, taking a bite of his scone. Hermione smiled lightly, Ron had recently left his job as an Auror to help his brother George with his shop Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. Hermione took a sip of her tea before answering,

"You two should go for a drink sometime. I'm sure not seeing you every day is hard for him, he was practically attached to your hip when you worked together. I know you and Ginny are busy, but try and plan something in the week or so?"

She avoided Harry's question, things between Ron and her had been a bit strained lately. With her upcoming promotion she had thrown herself completely at her work, the late nights and early mornings left little time and energy for her relationship. Especially since he left the Ministry, there was no chance for them to meet up for lunches, which had been their one saving grace. Swallowing hard she looked at her watch and jumped,

"Oh shit, I'm going to be late for my meeting."

She gave him a hard look,

"Harry, think about it, please."

She gave him a quick kiss on his cheek and stormed quickly down the corridor, her heels making a quick clacking sound on the marble floor.

When Hermione opened her door she was greeted by a tall figure in black dress robes, she gaped in shock for a moment before remembering how to speak properly,

"Mal…Mr. Malfoy, what can I do for you today?"

Hermione stumbled out, trying to fix her shocked expression at finding none other than Draco Malfoy lurking in her office. He raised a thin eyebrow, most likely at being referred to in such a formal way by her. A light smirk crossed his pale features and he bore into her gaze with his steel grey eyes,

"We have a meeting, I'm sure you got the memo…Ms. Granger."

He added slowly, his eyes flashing humourously. So he was the Head of the Department of the International Magical Office of Law. There had been so much restructuring going on within the Ministry it was hard to keep track of who was in which department. Realizing that she was standing in the doorway staring at her old school enemy, she quickly offered him a seat in the chair opposite her desk before she herself took a seat. Filing away the papers that she had been caring around, she pulled out some parchment and a quill. Just what she needed on her first day, to work with this twat.


	2. Haute Couture

Hermione was still in a mild shock with the fact that Draco Malfoy was seated across from her, and they were having a respectful conversation with no slurs or insults. I mean they were adults and it was to be expected, but she still had a hard time getting the image of that bratty greased haired child throwing insults at her. He was by no means that scrawny 'grease ball' that she had viewed him as in school. Malfoy was very much a man now, broad shouldered with chiselled features, he was a statuesque image of proper breeding. He was very terse when he spoke, explaining the details of the event without flourishment – which she appreciated. Some of the wizards she previously worked with were dreadfully long winded.

"What are you planning on wearing this evening?"

Hermione sputtered incredulously, and gave him a hard stare,

"Excuse me? I'm not quite sure what that has to do with meeting the Foreign Affairs Minister of France."

Malfoy crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, an image of self-importance, it just infuriated Hermione further,

"It has everything to do with meeting the Minister. You are inexperienced in this area Ms. Granger, I have spent my whole life meeting with important people from all over the Wizarding World."

 _Well, good for you._

"If we are to come to any coconscious on any of the laws that we are addressing we need to make an impeccable first impression. Tonight is basically a first date with the Minister, and we want to shine. So I'll ask again, Ms. Granger, what are you planning on wearing this evening."

Hermione looked down at what she was wearing currently, initially she had every intention of wearing her work dress robes, respectable and business appropriate. Malfoy must have noticed her hesitation because he instantly groaned and rolled his eyes.

"Good god, Granger. I'll send my assistant by floo this evening to help you prepare, I won't have you embarrassing me tonight and ruining months of my work."

Hermione stood up with him, glaring at him incredulously,

"Malfoy, I don't think that will be necessary, I believe the work will speak for itself. Besides I look perfectly acceptable."

He raised an eyebrow, straightening his jacket as he stood, turning quickly towards the door he looked back at her,

"Ms. Clearwater will be at your residence at five this afternoon, I'm hoping that two hours are enough to get you ready."

Before Hermione could retort he was out of her office, _insufferable git._

Hermione sighed deeply and dropped her work back on the table beside her fireplace as she entered her home. She was mentally exhausted already from her day, and she still had to go to the benefit event tonight. Collapsing on her sofa, she looked up at the clock on her wall. Ron wasn't home yet, and she hadn't been bombarded by Malfoy's assistant yet – which she hoped was just an idiotic threat. There was a crackling at her fireplace, oh mother of Merlin, she spoke too soon. The lithe form of Penelope Clearwater strode through the green flames that had just appeared in her fire place.

"Ms. Granger. Let's get started, we don't have much time."

Penelope greeting tersely, pushing her glasses back to their proper position on her thin face. She had long bags draped over her arm, which Hermione assumed were outifits that Malfoy deemed appropriate for this evening. Groaning heavily she stood up to meet the girl, annoyed that she was actually going to let this happen.

Hermione had allowed Penelope to charm her wild curls into a respectable updo, and apply make-up in a way that Hermione would never be able to achieve. Although she was grudgingly going along with the do-up, she didn't completely balk until Penelope pulled out the dress for her. Spluttering until she could find the proper words besides _fuck no_ , Hermione glared at the item and refused to take it from the poor girl,

"I think that's a little too outlandish for this type of occasion."

Hermione finally choked out, staring at the expensive fabric like it was the most obscene thing she had seen. Penelope chuckled darkly, looking down her nose at her,

"Mr. Malfoy said that you would be prudish, but seriously Ms. Granger, this dress is very fashionable and will be of the French Minsiter's taste."

"I'm not courting the man, for Godric's sake, it's a business meeting."

Tutting lightly, Penelope pushed the material into the hesitant woman's hands,

"Try it on Ms. Granger, and if it doesn't work then we'll find something else for you."

Hermione snatched up the fabric and stomped into the bathroom reluctantly. If slipping out of her work clothes felt amazing, then sliding into the dress felt angelic. The material was incredibly smooth and weightless, which was not what she was expecting. It was a black floral lace over a nude back ground. The front was cut lower than she was accustom to, but as she turned in it she couldn't help but feel gorgeous. It fit her body perfectly, which led Hermione to assume that it had been charmed to fit whichever body it was put on. It was cut low in the rear, showing off her creamy back. It was something that Hermione would never have chosen for herself, but it fit her like a glove. Hermione glanced down at her watch, she didn't have much time to find something else. She was going to have to go with this dress, which was probably Malfoy's intention in the first place. Taking a deep breath she stormed out of the bathroom to be met by Penelope's large grin,

"Oh Ms. Granger, you look fantastic, Mr. Malfoy will be pleased."

"Why are you trying to please Malfoy?"

An annoyed and confused voice croaked from Penelope. Ron had just arrived in the fireplace from work, and was gaping at Hermione like a fish out of water. Hermione smiled thinly at her partner, planting a light kiss on his cheek,

"Work Ronald. I'm meeting a French minister tonight, and Malfoy didn't trust me not to embarrass him…thus, this."

Hermione gestured awkwardly too her dress and appearance. Ron seemed as though he couldn't gather his thought properly, which made Penelope impatient,

"Ms. Granger, we need to get to the restaurant, we need to be there before the Minister arrives."

Hermione gripped Penelope's arm and looked back at Ron with a sad smile and a light wave before the disapparated out of her house with a loud crack.


	3. Francais and Fire Whiskey

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of J.K. Rowling. The original characters and plot are the property of the author of this story. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

Hermione and Penelope landed outside of an elegant looking French restaurant in Diagon Alley. Penelope fussed with her dress and hair quickly before Hermione could brush her away, her patience was starting to wear thin.

"You look acceptable."

Malfoy was standing near the entrance and a dark, and expensive looking dress robes. He had a silver serpent pinned to his tie, it had flashing emerald eyes. Hermione rolled her eyes at his comment and strode over to meet him, rushing into reviewing their topics of discussions for this evening. Malfoy hushed her quickly, which Hermione had to bite back a snappy retort. He was an entitled prick, and she was not enjoying him having the upper hand in this situation.

"Granger, this is the initial meeting. We aren't going to bring up politics tonight, we're on a first date with them tonight. We want to woo them and encourage them to work with us more easily. Relax, we're going to have an enjoyable evening."

Hermione groaned, although she would never admit it, she was horrible at small talk. It didn't come easily to her. She wanted to get a head start on the legislation, this evening seemed like a big waste of time – especially since she was being constricted in a dress she never would wear.

"Smile Granger, you look like you're going to burst a vessel in your forehead. Let me lead, I have plenty of experience in this setting, and try to look as though you're enjoying yourself. It's a bit of a put off when you're trying to eat and someone is scowling at you."

"I'm not an idiot Malfoy, I assure you I know how to behave in a social setting."

Malfoy let out a snort, seeming extremely confident in her abilities. Before Hermione could snap back at the annoying prick in front of her, there was a few light cracks and a small group of wizards appeared in front of them. They were all dressed in glamourous blue dress robes, which seemed to sparkle even in the dim light. Malfoy rushed forward immediately to greet the group, Hermione took a second to remove the disdainful look off of her face before greeting the men and helping them inside.

A spritely woman greeted them and escorted them to their table, Hermione sat across from the Minister, and to her distaste Draco sat at the head of the table, beside both of them. There seemed to be a few waiters taking care of their table, all of them seemed incredibly nervous serving the group of government officials. Fairly quickly they each had a glass of champagne, and the first course was being served. Hermione was definitely in shock with Malfoy's interactions, he was speaking in fluent French, with a flawless accent. It was taking Hermione a lot of effort not to be impressed with him. She realized just how little she knew about Malfoy's upbringing and experience. Of course with his family's position in the Wizarding World the young Malfoy would have been surrounded by people of importance from a young age. She had always looked at him like a pompous git, which of course he was, but never with the idea that he was intelligent. The Frenchmen were laughing uproariously at Malfoy's joke, which snapped her back to the task at hand, she joined in the conversation. Her French wasn't as good as Malfoy's, although she'd never say that out loud, but it was good enough from her family's vacations that she could carry a conversation fairly well.

It was just after their main course that the French minister called the waiter over to order shots for the table. Hermione tried to refuse as politely as possible, feeling a bit weird drinking so heavily at a work event. Malfoy gripped her arm tightly and leaned into ear, whispering so harshly that Hermione had to feign a smile to avoid the grimace that would have appeared,

"You're coming across as an uptight ponce. Take the stick out of your arse Granger and take a bloody shot with this man."

Draco pulled away from her and smiled graciously at their guests,

"I just reminded Ms. Granger that it's a Friday evening, and she can enjoy herself tonight. It's hard to drag her away from her desk sometimes, isn't that right Hermione."

He winked at her, completely taking her off guard. This was the first time that he had ever used her first name, his tone was extremely friendly which made Hermione feel uncomfortable. Until she realized that this was all a farce. She never understood how dangerous Malfoy was until that moment. He was so charismatic and charming, and able to lie so easily. This world was completely new to her, and she understood completely why Malfoy had been assigned as her partner for this assignment. Trying to refuse seemed futile at this point, she didn't want to argue with the prick in front of everyone and come across as frigid to their guests. So she took the shot that was offered to her and bit her tongue, glaring at Malfoy as she took the harsh shot of Fire Whiskey. Something that she hadn't had in years. She felt a warm tingling sensation run through her extremities, which was nearly enough to distract from the burning feeling in her throat. Hermione coughed and was nearly recovered when another shot was handed to her by the French minister, _seriously were they trying to get her completely sloshed._ Hermione swallowed the drink back, it went down much smoother than the first, which was not a good sign. The conversation became a lot more fluid after that, Hermione shared some antidotes of her time working on Hippogriff breeding regulations, and the interesting wranglers that she had encountered. The delegates seemed to be enjoying themselves, because it wasn't until after midnight that the group finally stood up and left the restaurant. Hermione tried her hardest to walk gracefully in her heels and dress, it was extremely difficult after the amount that the group had drank. The pair helped the French delegates into a carriage that would bring them to their lodging, apparition didn't seem like a safe option at this point.

Hermione watched them disappear down the cobblestone path before becoming aware of Malfoy's gaze bearing down on her,

"What?"

She snipped at him, crossing her arms at his amused expression,

"I'm surprised Granger, you did quite well this evening, the French minister seemed to really like you."

Hermione snorted and rolled her eyes. Throughout the evening the minister had been not so subtly flirting with the young witch. Hermione swayed slightly, feeling the alcohol hit her,

"Oh, steady there Granger,"

Malfoy grabbed her arm to keep her from toppling over, he laughed lightly at her condition, before adding,

"Let's get you home."

Hermione felt breathless, his body had leaned up against her and was much warmer than the stone cold she had imagined. He pulled her close to her, causing her heart to rush up into her throat, what the hell was he thinking. She glanced up at him in complete shock, before he disapperated them away from the restaurant.


	4. Fired up on Fire Whiskey

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of J.K. Rowling. The original characters and plot are the property of the author of this story. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No copyright infringement is intended.

Thank you for all the reads and reviews! I'm hoping to make more regular updates :)

* * *

Hermione stumbled forward as the apparated onto the street in front of her small cottage-like house. Malfoy grabbed her waist to steady her, causing a deep flush to cross her cheeks. He quickly withdrew his hand, like it was never there, and opened the gate for her. Their eyes met as she looked up to him quizzically, and immediately regretted his. His steely gaze caused her stomach to drop, and she pushed herself through the gate and away from his entrancing cold eyes. He followed her to the door, she was all too aware of his presence – his body felt as though it was radiating heat, as she struggled to find her keys in her purse.

"You'll be alright then Granger?"

He asked smoothly, Hermione's neck hairs rose unexpectedly causing her to flinch away from him. She was caught once again in his steel grey eyes, and her eyes couldn't help but fall to his structured jawline and soft looking lips. Impulsively she licked her own lips and swallowed hard, _what the hell was she doing?_ Quickly she looked back into her bag and thankfully pulled her stubborn keys out of her bag to avoid any awkward conversation with the former Slytherin.

"Yes, thank you Malfoy. I'll see you at work on Monday."

Hermione crisply said, avoiding his gaze as she unlocked her door and slid inside. She leaned against the door once inside, letting her bag slide off her shoulder and onto the floor with a soft thud. She didn't realize how heavy she was breathing until she was in the silence of her home. Why on Earth was her heart beating so hard? Gaining her breath back she stepped out of her heels, and pulled her hair out of the fancy knot at the back of her head. With a heavy sigh she fell back into her sofa, happy to be back in the comfort of her home. She wasn't used to this style of meetings, her work with Magical Creatures had been a lot of behind the scenes paperwork. Hermione wasn't used to being so out of her element, let alone having to lean on someone like Malfoy for help, _literally_. A heat rose from her chest across her cheeks, causing Hermione to roll her eyes and lay her head back on back of the sofa. What was wrong with her?

Dragging herself off the sofa and towards her bedroom she tried to shake the feelings out of her herself. Her stomach dropped when her eyes landed on her bed. _Ron._ He was still dressed, and had passed out on top of the sheets, it looked as though he had tried to stay awake for her to come home. All thoughts of Malfoy fell from her mind as she was flooded with guilt, she hadn't even thought about him all night, she never told him how long she would be. She hadn't given him any thought. Sliding out of her dress she quietly slid under the covers, trying not to wake the ginger. With a heavy sigh she closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep, her brain flooded with a plethora of emotions.

* * *

BANG! BANG!

Hermione's eyes snapped open, and she immediately regretted it. Her head was pounding, the loud clanking from the other room wasn't helping matters either. Groaning loudly she slid from her bed and wrapped her house robe around her body before stumbling out into the kitchen, where an irate ginger awaited her. Hermione rubbed her forehead and moaned lightly before leaning against the door frame,

"Good morning Ronald, you're rambunctious this morning."

Ron stopped his slamming and looked over at her, his face as red as her hair,

"Have fun last night?"

He growled, turning back to his toast which he was crushing as he aggressively spread marmalade on it. Hermione grimaced at the sound of his voice, regretting not taking a pepper-up potion before greeting her boyfriend.

"It was work Ron, I was completely out of my element to be honest, but I made the best of it."

Chuckling darkly, he shoved a piece of toast in his mouth and angrily crunched on it, he didn't bother swallowing before snapping at her,

"You smell like you were dunked in a barrel of Fire Whiskey."

Hermione rolled her eyes at this, and dug a small vial out of her fridge and downing it quickly. Her headache started to lift and her thoughts became less foggy, thank Merlin for magic. She closed the fridge door and tried to calm the frustration that was building in her chest, unfortunately her patience was pretty thin this morning,

"Honestly, Ronald you're seriously going to go there? How many times have I taken care of your drunk ass after one of your Auror meetings? Yes, we were drinking. Yes, I was out late. But it was work, Ron. It's my first case, and I really need to be successful to assert myself in this position. I'm sure you can understand that."

Ron shoved the rest of his breakfast into his mouth before tossing the plate into the sink. Glaring at each other from across the kitchen he seemed at a loss for words. Maybe he was trying to censor himself for once. With a final heavy breath he pushed past her and grabbed a handful of Floo Powder,

"I'm going to work."

And with that he disappeared in a glow of green flames, leaving Hermione riled up and frustrated. What a hypocritical twat. Any remorse that she had felt the night before was washed away by her frustration at Ron's firecracker reaction to her. It wasn't a surprise that he exploded like this, he could never think things through rationally, his emotions always got in the way. _"That's why you make such a great couple."_ Ginny would always say to her when Hermione went to her with frustrations. Ron's sister was convinced that Hermione needed his emotional responses to balance out her calculated ones. If anything Ron was bringing out the same attitude in her. Often times she would end up in a shouting match with the redhead where neither of them was being heard. Shaking her head she headed to her bathroom to shower, hoping to wash away her feelings of frustration.


	5. Cafe Confrontation

Hey everyone! Sorry for the huge delay in posting - life is crazy sometimes, but I'll have more frequent posts from now on. This chapter is a bit of a filler, but I'll have the next one up soon. Thanks for staying with me :)

* * *

Hermione stared into her steaming mug of tea, watching the creamy white milk billow up and cloud the dark liquid. It was calming and distracting her from the fiery energy that was resonating off of her friend seated across from her. To her surprise Ginny had kept her mouth shut besides a polite 'Hello' when they met up at a corner table in the Leaky Cauldron. The youngest Weasley was known for her boisterous attitude and she wasn't afraid to speak her mind. But thankfully, unlike her brother Ron, she was aware of her surroundings and had enough common sense not to blurt out whatever was on her brain in the middle of a crowded pub. Lifting the mug to her lips she blew gently before taking a light sip of the tea, before raising her eyes to meet Ginny's dark brown ones.

"You went out with _Malfoy_ last night?"

Ginny whispered incredulously, looking around quickly to make sure no one heard her. Hermione snorted into her cup and set it down, of course that's what Ron took from it. Her light laugh caused Ginny to raise her eyebrows in a mild shock, Hermione decided that she better answer the girl – even though she didn't believe it needed to be spoken about.

"Yes Gin, I went out with Malfoy for a _business_ meeting. We are working together on a case involving the French Ministry, so we had to entertain them last night."

"Was he a complete arse?"

Hermione laughed and shook her head, Ginny was such a gossip and loved a proper scandal,

"Well besides having zero faith in me to not embarrass him, he was quite cordial. Whatever his opinion is of me he was the utmost professional during the evening. It was work - and a boring lunch conversation. Any locker room stories for me?"

Hermione sipped her tea, ending the conversation. Having been friends for years the younger girl knew that was all she was going to get out of the story. Ginny rolled her eyes and immediately fell into a story about her Hollyhead Harpies teammates. One of the chasers had been caught sleeping with one of the beater's boyfriend. It ended with an 'accidental' bludger hit to the chaser's back. Hermione tried to pay attention to her friend, but her mind couldn't help but wander to last night. Malfoy had been a surprisingly great colleague to have with her, she wasn't sure that the relationship with the French minister would have grown so quickly if she hadn't had his support, no matter how frustrating it was to admit to herself.

"Are you coming to the game tonight?"

Ginny probed, drawing Hermione back from her thoughts causing her to flush brightly,

"I don't think so Gin, I'm going to give Ron his space. He and Harry can have a boy's night, it'll give him some time to realize what an idiot he's being."

Ginny looked a bit disappointed but Hermione stood her ground. The last place she wanted to be tonight was stuck in a Quidditch box with her pissed off boyfriend watching a sport that she wasn't that keen on. Plus it would give her some time alone in the house to relax and read before the busy work week ahead of her.

Ginny looked like she was about to argue with Hermione's decision, but as if on cue a cluster of young girls ran up and crowded their table begging Ginny for autographs. Hermione took this as her cue and threw some coins on the table and waved to her friend,

"I'll see you later, have a good game tonight."

Ginny could barely say goodbye as the girls pushed and shoved each other to grab the young witch's attention.

* * *

Hermione dusted ash off of her robes and stepped out of her fireplace. The house was quiet, Ron still wasn't home yet. Letting out a breath that she didn't know that she'd been holding she threw her bag on the kitchen table along with her cloak. She was pouring herself a mug of ale when she noticed a little chirping sound. Turning around she locked eyes with a tawny barn owl who was waiting patiently for her to remove the scroll attached to his leg. She groaned when she saw the seal, it was green with two entwined serpents carved into it. Hermione quickly removed the scroll while scratching the owls head, it chirped and ruffled it's feathers before taking off and flying out of her window. Sitting down at her kitchen table she broke the seal and unfurled the scroll to reveal the black scrawl inside. The pompous ass had gorgeous handwriting.

 _Ms. Granger,_

 _The French minister requests our attendance at the Quidditch match this evening. He wants to experience a British match, despite my insistence that there were better teams to watch than the Harpies._

 _Meet me at the stadium at 6 sharp, so that we have time to show them to our box._

 _D. Malfoy_

The twat didn't even bother asking if she was free, he just assumed that she'd be available. Hermione took a swig from the ale and ran her fingers through her now tangled locks of brown hair. She was going to have to attend tonight, no matter how frustrating it was. Considering the Minister was only here for a week it made sense to fit as many activities in as possible, but some planning would have been preferable. Hermione sighed heavily and dragged herself to the shower, she hoped dearly that she wouldn't run into Harry and Ron tonight, it would only make the whole situation worse. Turning on the cool water she stepped in, letting the frigid water wash away her stress and anxiety. The shower barely worked at calming her nerves, she hated being thrown off guard. She didn't have much time to get ready, so she quickly spelled her hair dry, letting it rest in natural curls around her face. Hermione wasn't one for bold make-up, and settled on a light coat of mascara with her favourite lip gloss. Malfoy would probably complain that she was too plain for a meeting, but she wasn't about to douse herself in make-up for a quidditch match. Hermione grabbed her mug and took another drink of her ale as she wandered to her closet, with no idea what she was going to wear. Her fingers landed on a dress that she had only worn once on a date with Ron, it was appropriate for a work event and helped bring out her femininity – hopefully this would appease Malfoy. It was a lovely deep navy colour with capped sleeves, and an a-line skirt that hugged her waist with the help of a black belt. It played upon her decollatage, hinting at her cleavage without revealing too much. Quickly Hermione slipped on the soft fabric, pairing it with a pair of black strappy heels. Downing the rest of her ale, she took a final look at herself in the mirror before snatching up her purse and spinning on the spot and disappearing with a pop.

* * *

cgi/img-thing?.out=jpg&size=l&tid=62581534 (Hermione's dress, except navy in colour)


	6. Harpies vs Kestrals

There was a rush of noise and swarm of colours as Hermione landed in the apparition port at the Quidditch stadium, she teetered for a moment until her body adjusted her balance. Apparating into noisy crowded areas always made her dizzy. Ducking her head she quickly made her way to the VIP entrance, dodging past a boisterous groups of lads who were already half sloshed. The air reeked of lager, one of the men whistled at her as she passed causing Hermione to roll her eyes and pick up her pace. She caught a glimpse of silver blonde hair near the entrance and bee-lined to him, trying her best not to look as irritated as she was. Draco Malfoy was dressed in a slim fit navy sports coat with a white button up and slim-fit navy slacks. Apparently this was how Malfoy dressed down – go without a tie and vest. Hermione gaze lingered on his jacket and she exhaled heavily,

 _Fantastic, we're matching._

Malfoy nodded a 'hello' to her as she reached him,

"Granger."

"Malfoy."

Hermione responded curtly, standing beside him so that she could watch the crowd for the Minister and crew to arrive. She felt his hot gaze on her, and raised her eyes to meet his – he quirked an eyebrow at her. Hermione sighed,

"I don't like not being prepared, there was hardly any notice for this."

Draco snorted at her, causing a deep flush to draw across her freckled cheeks.

"It's a Quidditch match Granger, hardly anything to prepare for. Besides, I'm not going to tell the Minister that we can't watch a game because it makes you uncomfortable not being given 48 hours' notice. You're wound up way too tight, someone needs to knock that stick from up your arse."

Malfoy drawled, a small smirk played across his lips as he returned his gaze to the crowd of people in the apparition zone. Hermione fumed, her blush intensifying, she opened her mouth to snap at the haughty Slytherin.

"Bonsoir mes amies!"

The French minister strode up to them, quickly shaking Malfoy's hand before kissing her on both cheeks. Swallowing her pride she greeted the Minister and his entourage with as much gusto as she could manage,

"Fantastic seeing you again Monsieur Barousse."

Hermione smiled, touching the Minister's arm gently in greeting. He responded with a soft chortle,

"Marquis, please Hermione. We're out as friends tonight – no business."

"Of course Marquis, our box should be ready for us, let's head up now."

She took the Minister's arm and led him towards the elevator that would take them to their box. Hermione, Draco, the Minister, and the three in his entourage squeezed into the seemingly too small elevator. The machine wheezed and expanded in size to accommodate the load, before shooting upwards with incredible speed. Hermione's stomach dropped to the floor, and then rose to her throat as they stopped as suddenly as they started. The elevator made a light chirp before lurching horizontally, Hermione was caught off-guard and stumbled falling against Draco's hard chest. Malfoy instinctively grabbed a hold of her arms to steady her, they stared at each other awkwardly – a heat rose up from her stomach to her neck, after what felt like ages but could only have been seconds Hermione had the sense to step back with a quiet,

" _Sorry."_

The elevator dinged and skid to a stop, Hermione quickly grabbed the metal bar beside her to brace herself for the quick stop. After all of these years magical elevators always caught her by surprise, to her brain it didn't make sense that they would move laterally. A tinny sounding woman announced,

"Box number 408A."

Hermione straightened out her skirt and hair as the men filed out, Malfoy waited for her to step out into their box before following her. The Ministry's box was up high which gave a perfect view of the game. Harry had very good seats, but they were nothing compared to the luxury that this box provided. It had large cushioned chairs that looked as though they reclined, with a tray that pulled out to support your meal and drinks. Behind the chairs was a spacious area with a full serviced bar. Hermione took it all in with wide eyes, Draco must have been to matches in boxes like this before because he barely batted an eye. A blonde and leggy waitress offered everyone a glass of champagne when they entered the box, she lingered around Draco after handing him his glass.

"Mr. Malfoy."

She said in an overly husky voice, running her fingers along his arm. He seemed to either not notice her, or was very good at ignoring her advances as he continued his conversation with the Minister's legal aid as if nothing was happening. Hermione snorted into her champagne flute as the girl pouted comically and sauntered back to her partner at the bar. The group circled and clinked glasses in a cheers, Hermione took a delicate sip of the champagne – enjoying as the bubbles tickled her tongue and throat. Suddenly there was an angelic sound of harp strings being played, magically amplified to reach the edges of the stadium. Fans in light green scarfs and hats started cheering loudly as a booming voice announced the entry of the Kenmare Kestrals. The team soared into the stadium one by one, waving to the crowd, some taking barrel rolls and show-boating upon their entrance which caused loud cheers and whistles from their fans.

"Anyone up for some friendly bets? Ten galleons on the Kestrals winning."

The Minister queried absently jingling his coin purse in his pocket.

"I'll take you up on that Marquis, ten that the Harpies win."

Hermione responded, clinking her glass against the Minister's, which drew a big smile from him. The harp music was exchanged with loud war drums as the announcer welcomed the Harpies onto the pitch. Hermione settled into her seat between Malfoy and the Minister, cheering when she saw Ginny enter the pitch. Her friend did a large loop without her hands on the broom causing a roar of cheers from the crowd.

"That's your friend isn't it Gra…Hermione? The youngest Weasley?"

Malfoy queried, pointing his champagne flute towards Ginny – who was now taking her position on the field preparing for the game to start. Hermione blinked, still not used to Malfoy referring to her by her first name. She didn't have a chance to respond because the question piqued the interest of the Minister who excitedly clasped his hands together,

"Ooh, you must introduce us after the match. I'd love to meet the only all-female team in the World."

Hermione reminded herself to chew Malfoy out for this when they were alone, but politely agreed to introduce the Minister to the Harpies at the end of the match. Harry usually went to visit Ginny after every match, Ron was with him tonight so it was likely that there was going to be a heated situation when Hermione showed up in the locker room with Draco Malfoy – the cause of Ron's irritation. As soon as the Minister turned his attention back to the game, she turned her head and shot Malfoy her best 'if looks could kill' glare before aggressively taking a gulp of her beverage. The smug git merely smirked at her, clearly enjoying that he had pissed her off, and finished off his champagne. He raised a hand to hail the dis-heartened waitress and ordered pints for everyone, just as the quaffle was tossed into the air starting the game. Hermione's dread was washed away as her friend quickly grabbed the quaffle and raced towards her opponent's goals. The Harpies' Captain Gwenog Jones was notoriously aggressive, and encouraged the same behaviour from her team. So it wasn't surprising when their beater smoked a bludger at the head of the chaser that was fighting Ginny for the ball. Both Ginny and the intended target had to duck out of the way of the pain inflicting ball. Hermione gasped, grasping her palms tightly on her legs. She felt a warmth on her hand and it took her a second to register that Malfoy had rested his hand on hers to comfort her. He seemed to notice at the same time that she did and immediately pulled away as if it hadn't happened, taking a swig of his beer as if it hadn't happened. Realizing that she was staring at the blonde wizard with her mouth wide open, she quickly chugged a bit of her beer, hoping that the alcohol would hit her and ease the tingling that was coursing from her arm down her spine. Hermione drew her attention back to the game just in time to see Ginny whip the quaffle past the Kestral's keeper, scoring the first goal. The crowd cheered loudly, and Hermione clapped loudly – surprisingly Malfoy was clapping as well. The rest of the game was quite rough, with both teams trading blows – with and without the bludger. The majority of players on both teams had blood on their robes, Ginny was flying with a bloody nose as if it wasn't there. Suddenly the seekers on both teams dove down from high above, dodging attempted bludger hits and shoving each other to try and ensure that they would be the first to reach the snitch. Hermione was on the edge of her seat and a silence rushed over the crowd as everyone waited with baited breath to see who would catch the snitch first. The Harpies' seeker suddenly shoved against her opponent causing him to fall sideways on his broom, giving her the upper each to lean forward and grasp the snitch in her nimble fingers. She raised it to the crowd, and they roared loudly in celebration. Hermione felt something cool placed into her left hand, she looked over in surprise as the Minister placed her winnings in her hand with a wink,

"Good show, Hermione. Let's have a Firewhiskey to celebrate before we go down and congratulate the winning team."

Hermione pocketed the gold before grasping the shot glass that was offered to her by the waitress, swallowing it she hoped that the whiskey would burn away all of the nerves that were bubbling up to the surface.


	7. Quidditch Quarrels

Hermione ushered the group of men down to the Harpies' locker room, which was situated in a hallway off of the pitch. The scent of grass met her nostrils and she hummed happily, she may not like the sport very much, but she did love the smell of it. They walked down the stone hallway, her heels clicked musically on the cobblestone, but it was quickly drowned out by the hoots and hollers of victory.

"Here we are gentlemen."

Hermione held the locker room door open for her colleagues, letting them pass through ahead of her. However, she blocked the entrance with her arm when Draco tried to walk through,

"You may have just seriously fucked this up."

All of her pleasantries were gone and she pressed her pointer finger into his chest to punctuate her point. Draco looked down, and raised a questioning eyebrow at her hushed outburst.

"We may be walking into a very irate Ronald Weasley, as this is his sister's team. He is less than pleased about us working together. I'll try to contain it the best that I can, but he is a loose cannon."

To her utter annoyance Malfoys usual smirk grew into a wide Cheshire grin,

"Are you saying that Weasel-bee is jealous of me? I'm not surprised mind-you…"

Hermione smacked his chest crossly,

"Is that what you've gathered from this conversation? Please, for the sake of business, do not antagonize him."

She pushed the door open again and shoved her way past him into the locker room. It was crowded with friends of the team and a few journalists from various papers. The Frenchmen were engaged in an exciting chat with the Captain of the team. Hermione spotted bright red hair, but luckily it was the youngest Weasley that caught her eyes. A surprised grin plastered her friend's face when she noticed Hermione walking towards her, cracking the dried blood that she had neglected to clean off her face due to all of the excitement of the victory,

"Mione! You made it!"

Ginny grabbed her in a bone crushing hug, pushing all the air from Hermione's lungs. She managed to struggle away, pulling her wand out and quickly cleaning her friend's faces which drew a sheepish grin from Ginny.

"You played brilliantly Gin, I'm glad that I could make it."

"Well he's certainly grown up, hasn't he?"

Ginny wasn't looking at her anymore, she was staring intently over Hermione's shoulder. Hermione looked behind her to see who she was ogling, raising her eyebrows when she realized it was Draco Malfoy of all people. Draco was currently in a deep conversation with the Harpies' seeker, who seemed unable to keep her hands off of him – laughing playfully at whatever he had said.

 _What's with these women tonight?_

Hermione rolled her eyes and returned her gaze to Ginny, who appeared to be undressing the blonde with her eyes. Snapping her fingers in her friend's face she managed to regain her attention,

"You cannot be serious Ginerva."

"What?! I may be engaged but I still have eyes!"

Ginny gave him a final look from head to toe, before returning her gaze to her friend,

"No wonder Ronald is jealous."

Hermione sighed deeply and chewed the inside of her cheek,

"Speaking of Ron, we won't be staying long. I really don't want a full out brawl in the middle of your dressing room."

"Gwenog would love it. Maybe I'd get a raise if I told her I was the one who orchestrated it."

Hermione laughed heavily,

"I really don't want to hang around to find out."

She was interrupted by a warm hand on her lower back,

"Mademoiselle Hermione, we are going to head back for the night. Thank you for such an enjoyable night."

"Oh Marquis, please let me get you back to the apparition point."

The French man held up his hand to her,

"No problem at all my dear. Please enjoy some time with your friends."

He smoothly kissed Ginny's hand before placing a chaste kiss on Hermione's cheek. Hermione wasn't about to argue with the Minister, but she really didn't want to be in this room any longer. So she politely said her good-byes to the group before they quickly filed out of the room.

"Gin it was great watching you play, but I need to get Malfoy out of her before World War 3 starts."

Ginny hugged her once more and laughed lightly,

"Good luck. Genevieve looks like she has her claws deep in him and doesn't look like she wants to let go."

It was true, the seeker was enraptured in her conversation with the Malfoy heir. She was running her long fingers along the handsome blonde's bicep in a predatory way. The pair didn't notice Hermione had joined them until she coughed.

"Can't you see we're busy having a conversation?"

Genevieve said scathingly, her perfectly shaped eyebrow arched aggressively at Hermione.

"While I'm sure it is quite riveting,"

Hermione retorted, unable to help herself from meeting the girl's snarky tone,

"Malfoy we need to get going."

"Hold onto your knickers Granger."

Malfoy seemed to be enjoying her anxiousness, much to Hermione's chagrin, causing her to resort to childish antics. She grabbed onto his side underneath his blazer and twisted the skin as hard as she could eliciting a hiss and a glare from him, but she refused to back down,

"Genevieve, it has been such a pleasure,"

His tongue rolled smoothly over the word, and the seeker blushed prettily as he held her hand to his mouth and lightly touched her knuckles with his lips,

"However, I must take my leave before my colleague implodes."

Hermione roughly grabbed Malfoy's arm before the dark haired witch could do anything else to distract him and dragged him towards the door. Once they were out of the room she rounded on him, but the blonde was quicker,

"Way to be a massive cock-block Granger, she looked like fun."

"For God's sake Malfoy, I told you before we went in there that it might cause shit, I wanted to get out as quickly as possible. But no, you got bloody distracted by your prick."

"If I didn't know any better I'd think that you were jealous Granger."

"Oh please, get over yourself. I know that it's difficult with stupid witches constantly inflating your deranged ego."

Hermione sidled up to him, leaning up against him and mockingly batting her eyes,

"Draco Malfoy it must be such difficult work carrying that massive head around all day. You must be so exhausted."

Malfoy snorted at her, but he seemed to be at least slightly amused by her actions,

"Oh Granger believe me, I have the stamina. But do tell me, is your ass sore from riding that high horse of yours?"

Draco called her bluff and stepped towards her, she hadn't realized how tall he was until he was leering down at her. Hermione blushed furiously, heat rising up into her chest, but despite herself she was smirking.

"Oi! What the fuck are you doing to her?! Get the hell away from my girlfriend before I hex your bollocks off."

Hermione went cold and jumped back from Malfoy, turning around to face the red-haired, red-faced, boyfriend she had been trying to avoid.

"Please Weasel, you wouldn't know the business end of a wand if it were shoved up your ass."

Malfoy drawled, leisurely turning to face the ginger, clearly not taking the threat seriously. This pissed Ron off more than he was initially, and he angrily fumbled around in his pocket for his wand. Luckily Harry had time to grab his friend's arm in an attempt to calm him down.

"Ron you're in no state to duel, and I really don't want to have to arrest you on my day off."

It didn't really work to calm his friend, but Ron seemed to realize he was too drunk to find his wand – let alone use it. So instead he stumbled forward and pressed his finger into Draco's chest in an attempt to intimidate him,

"If you touch Hermione again, I swear to Merlin…"

"Believe me Weasel, I have no intention to. But if I did, do you really think that you could stop me?"

Malfoy sneered, staring down at Ron's finger like it was the plague. Hermione's face was nearly as red as Ron's hair upon realizing a few people were peeking out of the locker room to catch a look at the commotion.

"Ronald, for Godric's sake, calm down. We're here on a business meeting, you're completely over reacting."

Ronald turned his glare to her, Hermione puffed up – refusing to be intimidated by him,

"I don't get it Hermione, why the fuck are you working with a bloody Death Eater. Malfoy of all people, after everything that we've been through with his lot."

Hermione's brows furrowed, and she stepped in towards Ron. Her voice was barely above a whisper,

"Inappropriate Ronald, he's been cleared of all charges - he was only a child. Please go in and see your sister, you're embarrassing me."

"Of course the _Great Hermione Granger_ is embarrassed by measly Ronald Weasly. Too poor and too stupid to meet her standards."

"Is that really what you think of me? You need to shut your mouth and stop projecting your feelings onto me Weasley, I've done nothing but love you since I was fifteen."

Tears threatened to spill from Hermione's eyes, more out of frustration and embarrassment than anything else. She looked to Harry for help. He grabbed Ron around the shoulders and pulled him towards the locker room,

"Come on mate, let's go and see Ginny before this gets out of control. He's not worth it."

Somehow Harry managed to pull his friend away, but not before shooting Hermione a very pointed _'We'll talk about this later'_ look.

"You were the one telling me not to antagonize him, but I think you broke him Granger."

Hermione rolled her eyes at him and ran her fingers through her hair, which felt like it had doubled in size from all of the stress.

"I do not want to deal with that when I get home."

Hermione murmured, turning away from the people crowding at the door of the locker room – whispering intently at each other. Her face was deep red with embarrassment. Draco's voice pulled her out of her inner turmoil,

"Let's go grab a drink."

Hermione gaped at him, forgetting how to form words for a moment,

"You cannot be serious. That will definitely not make any of this better."

"Ah, but it can't get any worse…and you look like you need one. Plus you owe me a drink for putting me through all of this shit instead of having what would have been a wonderful one-night-stand with a professional Quidditch player."

Hermione groaned, but couldn't deny that drowning her stress in Firewhiskey sounded awfully fantastic.

"Fine Malfoy, just one drink."


End file.
